A Chicago woman has been sentenced to 58 years in prison after being found guilty of killing and dismembering her landlord.
According to WGN-TV, CBS Chicago, and The Chicago Tribune, Cook County Judge Ursula Walowski sentenced Sandra Kolalou on Wednesday, July 10 — nearly three months after she was convicted of first-degree murder for the October 2022 death of 69-year-old Frances Walker.
During the sentencing, Walowski called Walker’s death “something out of a horror movie,” telling Kolalou, “The nature and circumstances of this case are quite aggravating, for a human being to do this to another human being,” per The Chicago Tribune.
Frances Walker.
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Walowski sentenced Kolalou to 50 years in prison for the murder of Walker, six years for dismemberment and two years for aggravated identity theft, the outlets reported. Kolalou’s attorney plans to appeal the decision, per The Chicago Tribune.
WGN-TV reported that Kolalou maintained her innocence during the sentencing, telling the court, “I understand a jury found me legally liable for murder. But I did not commit this crime. With God as my witness, I never harmed Fran.”
The court session included statements from members of Walker’s family, including her niece, Katerina Lee Walker, who said her aunt’s death caused her to be withdrawn from her social life.
Stock image of a court gavel.
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“I couldn’t be where happiness was. People were moving around me, but I couldn’t bring myself to move,” she said, per The Chicago Tribune.
Walker’s dismembered remains, including her head and limbs, were found in a freezer in a home they shared in the neighborhood of Arcadia Terrace. Police made the discovery after other tenants heard screams in the middle of the night after being unable to locate Walker.
“Based upon the totality of the evidence, the detectives believe the crime actually occurred in the victim’s bedroom, and then they do believe that the dismemberment took place on the first floor of that residence,” Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said during a previous press conference.
Deenihan added that Walker’s death had occurred after she “recently” served Kolalou an eviction notice.
In her obituary, Walker is remembered as a “talented pianist and organist.”
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“Fran was a devoted Catholic who respected all religions. She was kind, caring, positive, and spunky,” the obituary added.
